


sometimes you just gotta go find a ghost

by KoriLovesIt



Category: The Locked Tomb Trilogy | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghost Hunters, F/F, The People's Tomb Fic Jam: Scream, it's spoopy season, my brain can only compute dialogue rn so here you go, please consider the camera to also be a character because i feel like it deserves it, this is very self indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:07:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26775613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoriLovesIt/pseuds/KoriLovesIt
Summary: Gideon and Harrow go ghost-hunting.
Relationships: Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus
Comments: 7
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really know what this is, but it's finished on time and that's good enough for me.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Warning: this is unedited.

“Griddle what in God’s name are you doing.”

“Settin’ up the camera.”

“The what.”

“Well we’ve obviously gotta record this shit.”

“No we don’t.”

“...I’m settin’ up the camera.”

“I hope you die.”

“If I do it’ll be because I was saving your ass. I can see it now; there you are, about to be brutally attacked by some demon, and suddenly! I dive in, tackle the demon to the ground! An epic battle commences, bloody, violent, and in the end I stand victorious, sword in hand, but alas! The demon got a good swipe in. It’s fatal. And I lie there, growing colder by the minute, and you, my Gothic Nun of Eternal Darkness, run up to me, not sobbing because I don’t think you even have tear ducts, but wearing like a super, super sad expression. Total agony. It’ll be the most dramatic, fucking awesome death ever. This is why we need to record this shit, Nonagesimus.”

…

“Nonagesimus?”

…

“Bitch.”

  
  
  


[A camera turns on. The entire bottom right of the screen is filled with a shock of red hair and a pair of eyes that seem gold (as absurd as that is). In the top left of the screen, another figure stands. This figure appears to be dressed in a fashion more suitable for church than the dark, neglected wall that takes up the rest of the image.]

“Oh! It’s on!” 

The redhead waves jubilantly at the camera. 

“Hey! Hi! Um, I’m Gideon. Nav. And this-” she makes a broad gesture towards the other figure, “-is her majesty, almighty Queen of That Emo Phase You Had As a Teen, the one and only… Harrowhark Nonagesimus!”

The Queen of That Emo Phase You Had As a Teen frowns in a way that is both deeply profound and peacefully violent. “I’m going to sacrifice you to the darkest demon I can find.”

“I think you mean the  _ dankest  _ demon.”

“Sincerely, fall in a pit.”

“And now that we’ve all been introduced! Time to get our  _ ghoost  _ on!”

  
  
  


[The camera sways up and down, accompanied by the sound of heavy footsteps climbing a set of stairs.]

“ _ Must  _ you stomp everywhere, Griddle.”

“This equipment is heavy okay! And not all of us have the density of a twig, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“That wasn’t a question, I was telling you to shut the fuck up.”

“You know, I’m suddenly feeling  _ super  _ chatty now. Shall we gossip about boys?”

“I’m here for serious work, Griddle, not idle chit-chat.”

“Speaking of boys, shout out to m’boy SexPal! Him and Cam are at the secondary location, viewers. We’re having a bit of a competition, you see. First one to find a ghost wins.”

“That is not even remotely close to what we’re doing. This is a  _ scientific  _ exploration for  _ research  _ purposes. Sextus and I decided to make a friendly competition out of it - a competition with  _ rules,  _ and more at stake than you could possibly imagine. That you are too juvenile to see that does not surprise me.”

A pause.

Gideon snickers. 

“You just said ‘sex’.”

“Griddle.”

“Are nuns even allowed to say that word?”

“Nav.”

“It’s a totally serious question.”

“...”

“I’m going to  _ personally  _ meld your mouth shut.”

“Ooh.”

“With fire.”

“Kinky.”

“You  _ will  _ suffer.”

“Well don’t stop there, I think I’m getting a little turned on.”

“...I hope you die.”

  
  
  


[The camera zooms in and out as it pans across a bedroom. The room is dark, the only light source being the large torch shining from behind the camera. Occupying the room is a collection of rotting furniture, and a large canopied bed. The sheets on the bed are aged and dusty, but perfectly made. The pillows lie haphazard against the headboard; one pristine, the other bearing a tattered hole right in the centre, inside which rest a single feather. Above the headboard, an elaborate skull is drawn on the wall in a colour not dissimilar to rust.]

“Well, now here’s a great room!”

Harrow appears in the frame as she crosses over to the bed.

“This is the room of legend.”

“You  _ would  _ like this. Very much your style. Tell you what, I’m open to negotiations on spending our honeymoon here.”

“I’d rather die than go on a honeymoon with you, Griddle. I’d rather die in the most brutal way, be resurrected, and then die again in an even more brutal way, than go on a honeymoon with you.”

“Insert shocked Pikachu meme.”

“I’d rather eat my own limbs, devour myself till only bone remains, and then grind that bone till all I am is dust, than go on a honeymoon with you.”

“Yeah I get it.”

“I’d rather marry Ortus-”

“Okay that one’s too far. And obviously a lie, I mean it’s  _ Ortus _ .”

Harrow opens her mouth, but whatever retort she has prepared gets cut off by a sudden, piercing, scream.

[The camera jostles into motion as Harrow takes off in a sprint. The image on the screen swings between the ground, the wall, and occasionally two pairs of shoes: one small, the other large, both very worn. Footsteps sound again, this time much louder, and more hurried. Gideon pants and shouts for Harrow to wait. Doors can be heard slamming open. The floor shifts from old wood to smooth stone. 

The camera swings up briefly to show an endless stone wall, and a small, dark opening.]

“Harrow don’t!”

[The screen goes much darker, and the smack of the camera hitting stone echoes. A rough, grinding rumble shakes the screen, and the sliver of light disappears on the floor.

The only sound is that of quiet breathing.]

“Shit.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops, guess I'm continuing this. still very self-indulgent though
> 
> as always, unedited.

“Is this thing on?”

[The image on the screen jostles, and is accompanied by a series of dull thwacks.]

“Shit- it’s so fucking dark I can’t see fuck all.”

“Wait, didn’t Cam say this thing has night mode?”

[A mumbling of curses can be heard, and suddenly the screen is filled with a green-filtered image of Gideon’s face.]

“Is it recording? I think so.”

“Okay, so, hi. Hey guys. Um, quick update: so I’m pretty sure the camera caught the weird scream, well after that Harrow - because she’s completely fucking insane - legged it after whatever demon was making that sound, and I obviously followed, because I’m also apparently fucking insane.”

Gideon rolls her eyes, but her mouth stays frowning.

“And then, um, basically we found out that there’s a basement that’s sorta connected to the mountain? And there was this hole in the mountain that Harrow, that fucking idiot, ran into, and I, the bigger idiot, followed, and then the hole just straight up _closed_ , and now we’re standing in the dark, and by we I mean you and me because Harrow… Harrow’s fucking missing.”

Gideon looks away, biting her cheek and taking a slow, deep breath.

“Okay, so, that’s where we’re at. And obviously there’s no going back because, I won’t lie, I’m not even sure _where_ the wall with the opening is, let alone how to open it. So, here’s the plan. There’s a path here-”

[The camera turns to show a natural corridor wide enough to fit an average car and tall enough that Gideon doesn’t have to stoop. The bordering walls and ceiling are rough and textured even through the filter, while the path itself is strangely smooth and flat.]

“-and we’re gonna follow it. And hopefully it leads us to Harrow and not whatever was screaming earlier because, sorry Nonagesimus, I don’t fuck with dead things.”

  
  


[The camera turns on and Gideon is the focus of the screen. She appears to be sitting, her back resting against the wall. Her hair is messier than before, less styled. In the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, a small torch can be seen.]

Gideon exhales forcefully.

“Okay, so, I’m dumb and realised that this thing can run out of battery, so I decided to turn it off and just give an update every so often. So it’s been a couple of hours since last time, and I’ve basically just been walking, not much else. Um, I lost that big torch I had - I think I might have dropped it back in the house - so I took a look through my bag and found this small one.”

She waves the small torch in front of the camera.

“It’s not too bad, a bit of light is better than none right? I’ve got one spare set of batteries for the torch, and Harrow’s got more in hers, so we better find her soon. I mean, we _will_ find her soon.”

Gideon runs a hand through her hair, agitatedly pushing the strands back.

“I’ve got some food, a few bars of that healthy shit, so that’s good I guess. I’ve also got, um, a coat, water bottle, fuckin iPod nano - fourth gen for anyone wondering - but no earphones, so it’s kinda useless.”

She pauses for a long moment, looking around and up, before smiling wanly at the camera.

“It’s so quiet in here…”

“I guess it’s a good thing I grew up in Drearburh huh? Creepily quiet and dark? Yeah this place is basically home. Honestly, that manor could probably give this cave a run for its money.”

She takes a sip of water and cracks her neck.

“Okay, that’s been a decent break, time to get moving again. Nonagesimus is gonna fucking kill me later when she sees all this footage of me sitting around. Chill, my Eternal Damnation, I’m coming.”

  
  
[The screen is dark. The shuffle of feet and a clatter of plastic hitting plastic can be heard. The scene shifts as the cap of the lens is removed and a green-washed image of the cave can be seen. Everything looks largely the same, but for the slight incline of the path ahead.

At the top right-hand corner, there is a small icon of a battery, and three of the four bars are filled.]

“Do you see that?”

Gideon’s voice is hushed, but charged with excitement.

“Okay, I know it doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but any change is good right? I think we might finally be getting somewhere!”

Gideon chuckles.

“I’m so never gonna let you forget this, Nonagesimus. I hope you’re having fun playing damsel in distress.”

[The camera tilts down to show Gideon’s scruffy boots. A pebble nearby starts to rattle, and then, loud, high-pitched, and entirely consuming, a scream fills the space.

The screen goes dark.]


End file.
